Track-tamping machine



sept'. 11, 192s. 1,684,109

- E. E. PETERSON TRACK TAMPING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet .1

sept. 11, 192s.

E. E. PETERSON TRACK TAMPING MACHINE Filed May 51, 1927 73 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,109

E. ET PETERSON TRACK TAMPING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,jm/vento@ Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNTED STATES ERNEST E. PETERSON, OF SOUTH HIBBING, MINNESOTA.

TBACK-TAMPING MACHIN E.

Application nica my si, i927. serial no. 19am.

This invention relates to a machine for tamping railway road beds and particularly to such a machine which is adapted for use in connection with track raising and shifting machines, such as those described and claimed in United States Patents No. 1,264,- 37 6, dated April 30, 1918 and No. 1,592,153, dated July 13, 1926.

It is my object to minimize the hand work and time required to firmly tamp railway road beds by providing a novel and ecient machine, adapted to rapidly perform this rclass of work.

This invention also includes certain other novel` features of construction, which will be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Tn the drawings, which illustrate the best form of my device at present @own to me, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine, mounted on a railway car; 2 is a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 444 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail showing one of the guides for the tamping bars; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 3.

l prefer to mount my improved machine upon a railway car, indicated by the nu` meral 8, in such a position that tamping bars 9 extend downward at one end of the car. This car 8 may be provided with means for clamping it upon the rails 10 and with means for raising said rails, together with the attached ties 11, such as the means described in my patents above referred to. On the lower end of each of the tamping bars 9 is a head 12 for operating upon the road bed 13 between the ties 11. The embodiment illustrated has six vertical tamping bars 9, each of which is guided for substantially vertical movement in a bearing 14 (Figs. 2, 5 and 6). The several bearings 14 are mounted upon a transverse member 15, which is in turn guided for forward, rearward and lateral movement in horizontal supports 16 on the car 8. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 7, these supports 16 are rigidly secured to the frame of the car 8 and have a looped form so as to extend above and below the transverse member 15. At their upper ends, the tamping bars 9 are severally connected to spring arms 17 which are adapted to be given oscillating movement by eccentrics 18, all mounted upon an operating shaft 19 and and uniformly connected to the arms 17 by pivot pins 20. As best shown in Figs. 6 and 7, suitable-bearings 2Oa and 20b are secured respectively to bands 18 upon the eccentrics 18 and to the 60 ad]acei it surfaces of the arms 17. The pins 20 are inserted through the bearin s 20l and 20b to connect the arms 17 to the ands 18. Forming a fulcrum for the several arms 17 is a shaft 21, around which, one end of each 0b arm 17 is bent. The shaft 19 is arranged to be driven by a sprocket wheel 22 and a chain 23 operatively connects said sprocket wheel with a suitable source of power (not shown).

At each side 'of the car, the shaft 19 has a suitable journal support in a standard 24. A guideway 25 formed in the standard 24 aiiords means for permitting substantially vertical movement of the shaft 21, and ineans are provided for positively raising and lowering this shaft in its ides, together with the connected ends o the arms 17, so that the tamping bars may be raised and lowered independently of the action of S0 the eccentrics 18. As illustrated, the means for raising and lowering the shaft 21, consist of a pair of toggle members 26, .adjacent to the inner face of each of the standards 24, and a hand lever 27 connected in a suitable 85 manner to said toggle members. The lower end of each pair of the toggle members 26 has a pivotal connection with the adjacent standard 24, consisting of a pivot pin 26a. The lever 27 is fixed centrally upon a shaft on 28, having bearings 29 in the machine frame. Fast on the shaft 29, near each of the bearings 29, is an arm 30, which is connected by a link 31 with the toggle members 26. A toothed quadrant 32 is mounted adjacent the 95 lever 27 and a dog 33 for engaging the quadrant is pivoted upon the lever 27 and operable by a lever 34 and link rod 35 of commontype. Thus, the lever 34 may be operated to retain the lever 27 in any desired 10c angular position.

The member 15 may be moved to carry the tamper uides 14 forwardly and rearwardly relative to the car by means of a pair of levers 36. These levers are pivoted 1m upon suitable brackets 37 and connected to the member 15 near opposite ends thereof by rods 38. Means for imparting lateral movement to the member 15 and guides 14 for the tamping members is provided, being illustrated in Figs. 42, 3, 4 and 6. Thus, a pedal or foot lever 39 is pivoted upon the iioor of the car upon brackets 40 and hasl toward one end of its movement, the pedal 439 being operable to move, the lever 42 against the action of the spring 45. The link 44 is slidable within a suitable socket in the lever 42 to permitfmovement of the member forward and rearward of the car when actuated by the levers 36.

peratoa.

When the car 8 is to be moved along the tracks 10, the tamping members must be elevated to clear the obstruction ail'orded by the ties 11. Thus, the lever 27 is moved,

to the right from the position shown in Fig. 6 toy draw the shaft `lli'downward in the guides 25. rlhis, as will be readily understood, raises the bars 9 by tilting the spring arms 17 about the pins `20. When the road bed is to be tamped between the ties, the car 8 is stopped with the several tamping heads 12 in registry with the space between ties'. Now the lever 27'is operated to lower the several tamping rods 9 to the desired extent and power is applied to the chain 23 to rotate the shaft 19. Thel eccentrics 181 rotate within their encircling bands 18a and the latter bands, through the pins i20 and bearings 20l and 20", impart oscillating movement to the arms 17. These arms in turn, impart reciprocating move- -ment to the tamping bars 9 and cause the tamping heads 12 to impinge against the road bed. Without moving the car, the tamping members may be shlfted from side v to side and forward or rearward between a pair of the ties by operating one or both of the levers 36 and pedal 39. The hand levers 36 may be operated independently of each other, so that the angle of the member 15 relative to the track may be changed to conform to the ties and thus tamp as close as desired to the ties, irrespective of whether or not their edges are at-right angles with the track. When the pedal 39 is depressed, the lever 42 is operated to swing the member 15 longitudinally toward one slde of the car and thus operate the tamping members upon the entire surface of the road bed between the ties. When lthe entire surface of the road bed between a pairof the ties has been tamped, the car is moved and the operation repeated between the adjacent or succeeding pair of ties.

.I prefer to securethe eccentrics 18 at different angular positions upon the shaft 19, so that operation of the several tamping members is successive and not simultaneous.

Thus, where six tamping members are provided, the eccentrics are located at angles of 60 degrees apart upon the `shaft 19. l By making the' arms 17 resilient, the shock incident to the impinging of theJ heads 12 against the ground is minimized and breakage of parts of the machine i's ,prevented vwhen operating in hard or rocky ground. l prefer toconstruct the arms 17 from resilient bands of steel, adapted tg bend and relieve strains. 1 It will be noted that a tamping member is ,mounted outside of the rail at each side, as shown in Figs. 1-and.3, so as to tamp the bed throughout the length of` the ties.

My improved machine requires but a single operator to manipulate the several levers. Nevertheless, in operation, the time required to tamp the road bed is unusually short. Further, where the present invention is mounted upon a car wluch also carries track raising and shifting mechanism, such as that described in my Patent No. 1,592,1537 no hand labor is required to raise the ties during the tamping operation.l

Having described my invention what ll claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for tamping a railway froad bed between-ties, adapted to be mountled on a railway car, a power driven shaft -on sa1d car,-a serles of plvoted arms projecting substantially horizontally from an end of said car, fmeans operatively connecting said arms to said shaft for imparting oscillating movement to said arms and a series of tamping members severally connected to said arms and extending downward therefrom beyond the end of said car,-

said members being arranged to be actuated thereby to tamp the road bed between ties of the track.

2. In, a machine for tamping a railway road bed between ties, a power driven shaft,

a series of arms extending transversely of 4said shaft, adjacent thereto, a pivotal support for one end of each of said arms, means jconnected to said shaft for imparting oscil- -lating movement to said arms, la series of tamping members severally connected te said arms and arranged to be actuated thereby to tamp the road bed between the ties and l means for raising and lowering said pivotal support to adjust the tamping positionsof said arms between the ties.

3. ln a machine for tamping a railway road bed between ties, a power driven shaft, a series of pivoted spring arms extending transversely of said shaft, ad'acent thereto, means 'connected to said sha t for imparting oscillating movement to said arms and la'series of tamping members severally con- Inected to said arms and arranged te be actuated thereby to tamp the road bed between the ties.

4. In a machine for tamping a railway road bed between ties, a horizontal, power driven shaft, a laterally movable shaft eX- tending in parallel relation to said power shaft, a series of arms extending transversely of said shafts and pivotally supported on said laterally movable shaft, means connected to said power shaft for imparting oscillating movement to said arms in vertical planes, a series of upright tamping members severally connected to said arms and arranged to be actuated thereby to tamp thel road bed between the ties and means for adjusting the position of said laterally movable shaft whereby said members may be extended downward between the ties and raised independently of the means for oscillating said arms. l

5. In a track tamping machine, a power driven shaft, a series of eccentrics mounted at different angular positions on said shaft, a series of arms, operatively connected with said eccentrics, a pivotal support for eaclr of said arms, a series of substantially vertical tamping members operatively connected to said arms and means for changing the positions of said support to raise and lower said tamping members.

6. In a track tamping machine, a power driven shaft, a series of eccentrics mounted at different angular positions on said shaft,

a series of arms, operatively connected with said eccentric a pivotal support for each arm, a series of substantially upright tamping members operatively connected to said arms', guides for the lower ends of said tamping members and means for positively operating said guides to move said tamping members longitudinally and transversely relative to the track and independently of' the movement of said arms.

7 In a track tamping machine, a powen driven shaft, a series of eccentrics mounted at different angular positions on said shaft, a series of spring arms, operatively connected with said eccentrics, a movable support connecting said arms, said arms being pivoted upon said support, la series of substantially vertical tamping members operatively connected to said arms, a guide for the lower ends of said tamping members, means for positively operating said guide to move said tamping members longitudinally and transversely relative to the track and independently of the movement of said.

spring arms and means for actuating said movable support to adjust the elevation of said tamping members.

8. In a track tamping machine, a series of substantially upright tamping members, arranged to be extended between the ties of a track, power driven means for imparting reciprocating movement to said members, guides for vertical movement of said members, means for connecting said guides together, guides for horizontal movement of said connecting member and means for operating said connecting member laterally and longitudinally in said last mentioned guides. 4

`9. In a track tamping machine, a series of substantially upright tamping members, arranged to be extended between the ties of the track, power driven means for imparting reciprocating movement to said members, guldes for vertical movement of said members, guides for horizontal movement of the lower ends. of said members, means for shifting said last mentioned transversely of the track and means or actuating the lower ends of said members substantially horizontally and longitudinally of thetrack between the ties.

10. In a track tamping machine, a series.

of substantially upri ht tamping members, arranged to be extenged between the ties of said track, power driven means for imparting reciprocating movement to said members, guides for vertical movement of said members, a bar connecting said members together, guides for horizontal movement of said bar, a lever operatively connected to said bar for moving the same longitudinally,

in said guides and a pair of levers operatively connected to said bar for moving the same transversely and for changing the angle thereof relative to the ties.

In testimony whereof, I yhave hereunto signed my name to this specification.

ERNEST E. PETERSON. 

